Castellum
by MissLindaLee
Summary: The emergence of Linda's ability to defy gravity coincides with the rise of a new threat so powerful that it will require the combined efforts of the Justice League and Team Flash-but will the heroes be able to stop this threat before it's too late...or will this threat prove to be too powerful for them all? (Twelfth story in the remastered Angelica Corsusca series)
1. Chapter 1

It had been two hours since the sun dipped below the horizon, the day giving way to a typical March evening: dark and warm; the sliver of the crescent moon and twinkling stars provided the only light to the world below. Inside the Kent house among the soft glows of the lamps, Jonathan relaxed on the couch, reading the newspaper, while Martha sat in her rocking chair, focusing on a half-finished quilt; Streaky and Krypto lounged out on the floor near the fireplace, curled up next to each other sound asleep.

Suddenly, Krypto and Streaky perked up, looking over at the kitchen door; after a few seconds they scampered to the kitchen door, barking and meowing, pawing impatiently. Both of the Kents looked at each other in confusion.

"What in the world?" Jonathan asked as he and Martha put their things down and headed toward the pets. The farmer opened the door, allowing the two pets to scamper out on to the porch and down the steps. By the time Jonathan and Martha had stepped out, the animals had reached the gravel drive and were staring up at the sky. The human couple looked up as a lone figure lazily floated down, landing gracefully near the pets; he knelt to pet the furry creatures, a smile on his face.

"Clark," Martha said, smiling, as she and Jonathan headed down the stairs and over to their son.

Clark smiled as he stood straighter. "Hi, Mom," he replied, grinning. "Dad."

"So, why the surprise visit from our favorite son?" Jonathan asked, smiling.

Clark shrugged, still grinning. "Oh, nothing, really," he replied before his smile increased as he glanced skyward. "Well, maybe I have a **small** surprise." Jonathan and Martha looked up in time to see someone descend at a rapid rate before landing about ten feet away, landing like a gymnast who'd just dismounted; as the person stood, she smiled at Jonathan and Martha.

"Hi, Mom," Linda said, "Dad." Streaky and Krypto bounded over to their owner, and the teenager knelt down to greet her pets with hugs and kisses.

"Linda?" Martha said, surprised. "What on Earth…you can…fly?" Linda nodded, still smiling.

"When did this happen?" Jonathan asked, trying not to sound flabbergasted as he glanced between his children.

"Just tonight," Clark answered.

Linda stood straight as Krypto and Streaky continued rubbing around her legs. "Cisco had just brought me back to STAR Labs after giving me a Central City Segway tour," she explained, "and I was showing off some sketches I'd made to the others when I suddenly," she furrowed her eyebrows as she made some slow motions with her hands, "found myself on the ceiling. Barry called Clark, who came and helped me get down and helped me get it under control really quickly."

"I told you you'd get the hang of it without much effort," Clark said, playfully elbowing her."

"Well, I had a good teacher," Linda retorted, elbowing him back.

"So, after that," Clark continued, looking back at their parents, "I figured you two should know, so we came straight here."

"Clark actually let me fly over here on my own," Linda said, looking like she was going to burst. "We actually reached ten thousand feet, it was **so** awesome." The young girl saw her parents expression, and her smile faded a little. "Aren't you guys happy?"

Martha sighed, smiling. "Of course we are, Linda" she replied before glancing at her husband. "Aren't we, Jonathan?"

"Yes, we are," Jonathan replied, smiling. "Now there's someone to take care of dusting the ceiling again." Everyone stared at him, and the farmer grinned and chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair. "I'm just kidding." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We're very happy for you, sweetie."

"So, does this mean my confinement to Smallville has been lifted?" Linda asked hopefully. "You did say I had to stay in Smallville until all my powers came in—Spring Break in Central City aside—and all my powers are now in."

"Are you sure about that?" Jonathan joked. "No more strange or previously-unknown abilities that'll pop up unexpectedly?"

"I certainly hope not," Martha replied.

"Me too," Linda agreed. She glanced between her parents. "So, am I off the hook?" Martha and Jonathan glanced at each other.

"Let's talk about that after Spring Break," Jonathan answered. "Go and enjoy your time," he tilted his head, "you are enjoying your time?"

Linda nodded. "It's a little weird being away from home," she replied honestly, "but I am having fun doing something…normal."

"We're glad to hear that," Martha replied sincerely. "You deserve to enjoy something normal after everything that's happened." Linda smiled gratefully, then she opened her mouth before pausing.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"Can I do something before going back to Central City?" Linda asked.

"What's that, sweetie?" Martha asked.

"Can I go see Jimmy?" Linda asked. She saw the looks her parents and cousin gave her. "Look, I know we sometimes get into a little trouble whenever we get together."

"You really need to look up what 'little' means in the dictionary," Clark replied, rolling his eyes.

Linda stuck out her tongue briefly. "The point is," she continued, "I've **always** told him about every power I've gotten when I've gotten it…and Jimmy knows how much I've been looking forward to this particular power."

"What about Gar?" Jonathan asked. "I seem to recall you two making plans to go for a little fly-around as soon as you were air-bound."

"Gar is not normal, Dad," Linda answered, "and, trust me, he considers that a compliment." She shrugged. "Look, I know things with Jimmy have been…strange, especially recently, but I also know it would really bother him if I didn't let him know tonight—and it'd mean a lot to me, too."

Martha glanced at Jonathan, and she could see he wanted to say 'no,' but the elder farmer sighed as he looked back at his daughter, smiling softly.

"Yes," he said, "you can go see Jimmy." Linda grinned and opened her mouth, but Jonathan held up a hand. "But there are some rules that you need to follow."

"Okay," Linda replied, calming down, even though she was grinning on the inside.

"First," Jonathan said, "I want you to be careful—that means stay out of sight." Linda nodded. "Second, don't stay too long—it might be Spring Break, but you're still only sixteen; be back in Central City by ten, okay?"

"I'll call Barry and make sure he knows," Clark added. Linda almost said something, but decided against it; she simply nodded again.

"And third," Jonathan finished, smiling as he leaned over to kiss Linda's forehead, "have a good time."

"I will, Daddy," Linda replied, smiling before she bent her knees.

"Whoa, hold it, Short Stack," Clark said, stopping her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Linda looked confused, so Clark tapped the side of his head near his eye; Linda suddenly realized what he meant. She blurred into the house and retuned a second later, holding her second pair of glasses; she tucked them into her pocket. "There." She petted Streaky and Krypto one last time. "Bye, guys." Without even standing up, she pushed off the ground and took off into the night sky, soaring away at super speed while everyone looked up.

"Well, it's nice to see someone enthusiastic about one of their abilities," Jonathan said; he glanced at Clark, "unlike someone else, who shall remain nameless."

"Hey, in all fairness," Clark replied, amused, as he kept his gaze upward, "I was scared of heights." He shook his head. "Linda was never Earth-bound the way I was."

"She still needs her family," Martha replied, hearing the slight sadness in her son's voice. "That makes her just as bound to this planet as anyone else." Clark smiled gratefully.

"Hey, Clark, could I ask you a question?" Jonathan asked suddenly.

"What's up?" Clark asked.

"Why did Linda need her spare set of glasses?"

(End of Chapter 1)


	2. Chapter 2

Jacob Olsen sat in Jimmy's room, reading To Kill a Mockingbird in the chair pushed into the corner. It had been almost a month since his son's injury, and Jacob was glad that Jimmy's recovery had been smooth, despite the awkwardness the agent knew his sudden appearance and continued presence in his family's life had caused: Jimmy had initially been cold to both of his parents, talking to them only when absolutely necessary, but over the weeks had slowly warmed up. The agent glanced at the closed bathroom door, listening to the running water as his son took a shower. Things were still tense between the three Olsens, but Jacob knew they had progressed immensely since that night in the hospital. Nevertheless, the agent couldn't help but still feel like a complete stranger with his own family.

The sound of a light tap from the bedroom window caused Jacob to immediately switch modes. He quickly got to his feet, pulling his weapon from his shoulder holster even before the book hit the floor. The agent carefully and swiftly crossed the room, keeping his back against the wall as he stood next to the window. Before he could make another move, he saw the latch unlock of its own accord, and Jacob gripped his gun tightly as

the window opened and a small head popped in; the agent pressed the gun against the person's head.

"Don't move," he growled, his voice low with edge. Swiftly, his gun was yanked from his hand, and Jacob suddenly found himself hanging out the open window, the only thing keeping him from falling being a hand gripping his throat. Jacob struggled as he looked over and stopped, his eyes widening, when he saw Linda standing on the window ledge, glaring at Jacob, her hand around his neck as she gripped his gun in the other. "Linda?"

Linda's expression changed as she recognized the voice—and finally the face. "Mr. Olsen?" she asked, slightly confused. "You're still here."

"Yes, I am," Jacob wheezed before glancing down at the street about a hundred feet below him. "Uh…would it be too much trouble for you to put me down—inside the building, preferably?"

Linda looked apologetic. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. She stepped aside as she brought Jacob back in the room, carefully putting him on the floor.

"It's okay," Jacob replied, smoothing his shirt, then he glanced at the young girl before holding out his hand. "My gun, please." Linda furrowed her eyebrows, then glanced at her hand; she appeared sheepish as she handed Jacob his gun. "Thank you." The agent checked it over before holstering it. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I came here to see Jimmy," Linda answered, "and before you ask, yes, I have permission."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain **why** you're here," Jacob said.

Linda didn't say a word as she launched herself off the ledge. Jacob's eyes widened as he watched the young girl effortlessly twisted until she was facing the building, floating in midair with her arms crossed.

Jacob was a stunned but reflexively hid it under a neutral expression. "New power, I presume?" he asked in an almost bored tone.

"Your deductive skills are astounding," Linda replied with an amused tone, and Jacob smiled. The teenager took a deep breath, her expression turning more serious, as she floated closer to the building. "So, can I see him?"

Jacob's smile faded as he sighed. "Well, he's been a bit melancholy for a while," he answered, "as I'm sure you're aware from the Skype sessions I've heard you two have had over the past month." He shrugged. "But I think a little brush with antigravity will help lift his spirits."

Linda couldn't tell if he'd purposefully intended the pun or not, but decided it was best not to ask. "You're really okay with that?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jacob replied before looking her straight in the eyes. "Just don't…drop him, okay?"

Before she could respond, the bathroom door opened, and Jimmy walked out with a towel wrapped around his midsection, using another towel to dry his hair. He was halfway to his bed when he glanced over and saw his father standing next to the open window—with Linda floating outside

"Linda?" he asked, surprised.

Linda didn't respond, but her eyes widened slightly before she floated up past the window. Jimmy and Jacob stared in silence for a few seconds before Linda's head—upside down, hair hanging—popped into view.

"Uh…hi," Linda replied nervously, still hanging upside down, trying to keep her gaze from wandering away from Jimmy's eyes.

"I thought you were in Central City," Jimmy said as he slowly walked over.

Linda smiled. "I was, but something came up." She paused, then snickered when she realized what she'd said.

Jimmy smiled in return. "Yeah, I can see that," he replied.

Jacob glanced between his son and Linda, and the agent could tell that both teenagers were totally oblivious to the fact he was even present. After a few seconds of silence, he cleared his throat loudly, startling the two.

"Thank you both for coming back to reality," he said. "Now, Jimmy, if you're feeling up to it, I don't see a problem if you and Linda want to go out for a small, uh," he furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "fly around the city—and, yes, that is something I thought I'd never say in my lifetime."

Jimmy glanced at Jacob, a little surprised. His father had been nothing but firm in keeping the young photographer toeing the line during his recovery. Jacob saw his son's expression and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, that'd be great," he said to Linda, who grinned.

"Okay, then," Jacob replied. He nodded at his son. "You get dressed, and you," he looked at Linda, "are welcome to wait in the living room."

"I'll stay out here, thanks," Linda replied.

Jacob shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied. "Just stay out of sight." He closed the window and drew the curtains shut.

Linda waited a few seconds before leaning up against the wall, still floating. She let out the breath she'd been holding as she put her hand on her chest; she felt her heart pounding. "Whoa," she said, slowly smiling.

In contrast to most of the world winding down for the evening, the nightlife of Metropolis was just getting started. The tall buildings of the city glowed brightly like a Christmas tree, and the people bustled around, too lost in their own lives to take notice of the two figures soaring high above them.

Jimmy stared down in awe at the buildings passed under him. Linda was at his side, her arm securely around his waist; her free arm crossed under their chests, holding his hand in hers. The wind whipped around them, but Jimmy didn't feel the least bit cold, even as he only wore a blue t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He glanced over at Linda and saw her eyes dancing with a newfound freedom; in that moment, the young photographer couldn't imagine her looking any more beautiful. A few minutes later, the teenagers made a small stop on the roof of the Daily Planet building, sitting on the ledge, letting their legs dangle over the edge as they stared at the city below them.

"I can't believe Clark just dropped you like that," Jimmy said.

"Well, it's not like it hurt," Linda replied before giving a small smirk and a shrug, "and I did slug him for it after he landed."

Jimmy stared at her, smiling in disbelief. "You didn't." Linda nodded, smiling, and the photographer actually laughed out loud. "Man, I wish I could've been there." He hesitated. "Wait, aren't you worried about Clark saying something to your folks?"

"Nope, he's more scared about them siding with me," Linda answered before looked at the bright lights and city spreading out below them; she sighed, smiling. "Still, I'm pretty happy with the end result."

Jimmy's expression softened into a warm smile. "Yeah, I know how much you were looking forward to flying." He tilted his head. "Does that mean your quarantine's been lifted?"

"Dad says we'll talk about it after Spring Break," Linda explained, "but I'm pretty sure they'll say it is," her smile widened, "which means I could come visit more often."

"Given our track record," Jimmy replied, amused, "I'll believe **that** when I see it." Linda chuckled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, causing Jimmy's heart to skip a beat; his cheeks grew warm, and he nervously cleared his throat. "So, uh, speaking of Spring Break, how's it going?"

"So far, so good," Linda replied. "Got to see a little bit of the city with Professor Stein and Cisco, and I managed to fix this ring that used to belong to the Reverse Flash and now Barry can use it to carry his suit in." She smiled when she saw Jimmy's confused expression. "It's a spring-loaded ring that Eobard Thawne could shrink and fit his suit in; Cisco told me he'd wanted to call a friend of his who specializes in shrinking things—someone named Ray, I think—but once I examined the ring, I actually recognized the technology, so I helped fix the spring mechanism and even recreated the formula that compresses and decompresses the suit without damaging it."

"I thought you were there to see museums and galleries and go shopping," Jimmy said.

"I did," Linda replied, "after that—and after Cisco and I tested my abilities." Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "We were bored and wanted to see just how fast, strong, and so forth I am."

"And?" Jimmy asked cautiously.

"Well, I can run Mach 7.8," Linda explained, "lift at least 100 tons, handle a bolt of lightning, and break out of one of the containment units at S.T.A.R. Labs—among other things."

Jimmy whistled softly. "Okay, I knew you were fast and strong," he said in awe, "but that's…wow."

"And Cisco says I'm probably going to only get stronger and faster as I get older," Linda added before furrowing her eyebrows slightly. "I think he's more excited about it than I am." She chuckled. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already coming up with ideas for my costume."

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with that," Jimmy said.

"I don't," Linda replied. "I mean, not now, anyway. This is the first time in my life that I remember ever being this happy and normal—and you know what I mean by that. I want to enjoy it for a while before I even **begin** to contemplate becoming a superhero." She shrugged. "Besides, with Clark and the others around, the world doesn't need any more superheroes."

Jimmy watched as Linda stared at the city below. Despite her attempt to appear unbothered, the photographer picked up on the envious tone in her voice. He decided not to press the issue as he put an arm around her shoulders. Linda responded by leaning against him, and the two just watched the city below them in silence.

Half an hour later, rain poured down on Linda, drenching her, as she soared high in the sky as she headed back to Central City. The wind howled violently around her, and the teenager actually found herself struggling slightly to remain steady as she dodged lightning bolts—more annoyed than worried about being hurt. Logically, she knew she should fly below, around, or above the storm, but she didn't want to risk being seen in the first two options, and she wasn't sure about her atmospheric limits—she'd have to fly over forty thousand feet to clear the top of the storm—so she knew the only choice left (if not the best) was to fly as quickly as she could through the storm itself.

Linda sighed and wiped water from her face before a horrible surge of energy hit her from behind. She shouted out in pain, her entire body feeling as if it was on fire before going limp as she went unconscious, freefalling through the clouds toward the ground below.

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, bathing everything in soft hues of orange, red, and gold as Jonathan leaned against the porch rail, staring blankly into the distance. He normally enjoyed the quiet atmosphere the morning offered, but his mind was as far from the farm as it possibly could be. The kitchen door opened and Martha slowly walked out carrying Jonathan's cow mug; she approached her husband and stared up at him; after a few moments, she held out the mug to him.

"I shouldn't have let her go," Jonathan said softly.

"Jonathan, you can't blame yourself," Martha replied.

"It's been over ten hours since she left Metropolis, Martha," Jonathan pointed out. "She never made it to Central City; over ten hours, with no sign of her anywhere. For all we know, she could be hurt or…." he trailed off, not wanting to even think about the alternative; he sighed and took the mug from his wife, slowly sipping the hot coffee inside.

A whooshing sound caught their attention, and the couple looked up to see Superman descending from the sky; he landed near the house, and both Jonathan and Martha could see how somber he appeared as he headed up the steps.

"Any luck?" Martha asked hopefully.

"None," Superman replied. "I don't get it; I've checked everywhere—we've all checked everywhere—but we can't find any trace of her anywhere; J'onn can't even sense her." He tried to sound strong, but his voice betrayed him; he felt completely and totally lost. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Clark," Jonathan said, "I know you may not want to hear this, but is there **any** chance that this was a setup by the League to get their hands on Linda?

Superman looked at his father in disbelief. "They wouldn't do something like that, Dad."

"You know how they feel, Clark: they still don't fully trust her."

"Not all of them still feel that way, Dad, and the ones who do would **never** resort to kidnapping her; we don't do that—not to anyone." Jonathan didn't appear convinced, but he remained quiet; Superman looked at his mother. "Has Cisco had any luck?"

"No," Martha replied. "He's been in Linda's room ever since Barry brought him over, but he hasn't gotten," she looked momentarily confused, "a vibe, or whatever he calls it. I tried to get him to take a break, but he's refusing to leave until he gets something." The trio looked over as they heard a car engine and saw a Dodge Viper pull up, parking beside the Kent's truck; Jimmy and Jacob exited the vehicle, both looking extremely exhausted, and made their way up the walk.

"Any luck?" Jonathan asked.

"None," Jacob answered apologetically. "You?"

"Nothing," Superman replied. "The League isn't having much luck; even J'onn can't pick up a reading on Linda anywhere."

"She couldn't have just disappeared," Jimmy said, his voice laced with anger and panic. "She's gotta be somewhere."

Jacob put a hand on his son's shoulder. "You need to get some rest."

"I'm not resting until Linda's back," Jimmy said firmly.

"That wasn't a request, James," Jacob said firmly.

Jimmy opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by a loud screeching sound. Everyone looked up to see a large eagle zooming straight for them. At twenty feet from the ground, the eagle extended its feet, displaying its huge talons—and suddenly morphed into Gar; he landed seamlessly on the ground, crouching low.

"You'll never believe what I just saw," the teenager said breathlessly. "Linda's—"

"Right there," Martha interrupted as she stared past everyone to a point some distance away. Everyone turned and stared in shock when they saw Linda walking methodically down the gravel drive toward them, unscathed—and completely naked.

Superman felt a wave of relief, but her lack of clothing caused him to reflexively turn his head, embarrassed; he glanced at the others, who had done the same. The hero took a deep breath and removed his cape, keeping his eyes adverted as he walked to his cousin. He carefully wrapped the cape around her before meeting her eyes; she stared straight ahead, dazed, her eyes clouded over.

"Linda?" he asked concerned, but he got no response. "Hey." Linda slowly looked over, and it took her a few seconds to acknowledge her cousin. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Linda said monotonously.

"Linda, where have you been?" Jonathan asked as he and Martha hurried over, followed by Jimmy and then the others; the Kents reflexively checked their daughter over for injuries.

"I…," Linda trailed off slowly as she started to sway. Clark gently picked her up, making sure she stayed covered with his cape.

"Come on," he said softly. "Let's get you inside." He headed toward the house, cradling his cousin in his arms.

* * *

While Martha stayed with Linda in her bedroom, getting her dressed and settled in bed, Clark had contacted the others had helped search for the teenager. While the majority of the League continued the investigation elsewhere, Batman, J'onn, and Flash—plus Ronnie and Professor Stein—arrived at the Kent House and gathered in the living room within thirty minutes; Pete wanted to join, but he had to head back to the office. The group had barely gotten settled in when Martha came down the stairs, looking slightly exhausted.

"How is she?" Jonathan asked.

"Physically, she seems fine," Martha answered as she walked over to her husband, "but she won't talk about what happened; she got a little agitated when I asked her if she could remember anything."

"Not surprising," Batman spoke up from his spot in the far corner of the room. Jimmy snorted mirthlessly from his spot on the couch, and the Gothamite narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "You have something to say?"

"Just trying to figure out how many bats short of a belfry you are," Jimmy replied curtly as he looked right at Batman.

"Jimmy," Superman said gently, "you need to calm down." He knew the combination of sleep deprivation and concern for Linda was fueling the teenager's emotions at the moment, but it still wasn't going to help the situation.

"Why?" Jimmy asked, keeping his eyes on Batman. "So Bruce can go on and on about how Linda made this whole thing up for whatever reason because **he** doesn't trust her?" He felt his father's hand on his shoulder—something that would normally calm Jimmy down (slightly)—but he was too agitated for even that.

"You're right," Batman said curtly, "I don't trust her—but it doesn't mean I believe she made the whole thing up."

"You said—"

"I said what I did," Batman interrupted, "because whatever happened to her in that ten-hour period was obviously traumatic—whether she remembers it or not—and given her past it's not surprising she's agitated."

Jimmy wanted to make a snarky comment, but he couldn't come up with anything logical to counter Batman's statement.

"Now, while the rest of the League continues investigating the situation out there," Batman continued, "we should focus on Linda and what we know." He turned to J'onn. "You think you could get into her mind like you did the last time?"

"I've been trying to access it since I arrived," J'onn answered. "For whatever reason, I can't gain entry—which would support your theory about Linda being traumatized."

"You think Linda's blocking you?" Superman asked.

"If she is, it's subconsciously," J'onn replied, "and if she's not, then there's something—or someone—else we need to worry about."

"Well, the good thing about vibrations," Cisco spoke up, "is that they're not limited by telepathy or the subconscious," he paused, momentarily lost in thought, "I think." He saw movement in the kitchen and glanced over; Linda walked slowly toward the kitchen door. "Hey, look who's up." Everyone looked over and saw the teenager, dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts and black cami tank top; her hair hung past her shoulders.

"Linda," Superman said as he crossed the kitchen to his cousin, "you should be resting."

"I don't need to rest," Linda said monotonously as she turned to face Superman. "I am fine."

"Linda," Jonathan said as he and Martha approached. "Are you okay?"

Linda frowned. "And you're speaking to me for what reason?" she asked in a slightly haughty voice. Jonathan and Martha stared in shock at their daughter, but she looked past them and saw the others standing in the living room, staring at her; she narrowed her eyes briefly. "What are they doing here?"

Superman tilted his head, confused; he glanced at his parents. "Uh, why don't you guys back off for a moment," he said. The Kents appeared troubled, but they listened to their son; the Kryptonian waited until they'd backed off before turning back to his cousin. "Are you okay?"

"I said I was fine," Linda snapped.

"Linda, you were missing for over ten hours," Superman replied, "then you show up with no memory of where you were or wearing any," he shifted, looking a little uncomfortable, "clothes. That's not fine."

"I was in a safe place," Linda replied, "a place I was shown the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Superman asked, his stomach tightening. "What place? What truth?"

"Who I really am," Linda replied. "I am Kara Zor-El of the House of El, and it is time to fulfill my destiny."

Superman's stomach knotted; the last time he'd heard that word in the context of anything Kryptonian, horrible things had happened. "What do you mean 'destiny?'" he asked softly, worried.

"To be the rightful ruler of this world," Linda replied calmly. "It was **your** destiny at one time, Kal-El, until you rejected it." She glanced over at the others and smirked condescendingly. "Look at them. They're all primitives, powerless, weak," she watched as Batman put his left hand over a compartment on his belt, "trying to improve their position with pathetic inventions," she glanced at J'onn, Barry, Cisco, Ronnie, and Professor Stein, "or abilities that come nowhere near the level of ours." She looked back at her cousin. "We can still fix this, Kal-El; if we work together, nothing can stop us."

Superman swallowed before setting his jaw. "Linda, I don't know what's happened to you," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, "but you have to fight it. This is not who we are, and you know that."

Linda stared at Superman for a few seconds, expressionless. "Very well," she said calmly as she pulled away from him and took a step to the side, keeping her back to him. "If you choose them over your rightful place in this world, then you can die with them." She suddenly balled up her hand and quickly twisted around, swinging her fist and hitting Superman square in the jaw. The force sent the young man flying backwards, crashing through the kitchen door.

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

Glass and wood splintered out from the point of impact, and the shockwave from Linda's punch was so powerful that it sent the others stumbling to the ground; everyone hit the floor as debris rained down on them.

Superman hit the ground and tumbled violently for fifty feet, crashing through the picket fence before slamming into the cars. He lay, stunned, trying to remember the last time he'd been hit that hard. He shook his head before looking over toward the house; his eyes widened when he saw the large gaping hole in the side of the house. He watched as Linda emerged from the dust cloud, floating a few inches above the porch; her eyes were locked on her cousin as she landed softly on the ground in front of the steps.

"Linda, why are you doing this?" Clark asked, slowly getting to his feet as he rubbed his jaw.

"Because humanity has made you weak," Linda replied coldly as she walked methodically toward Superman. "You've lived among them too long, forgetting who you really are. You've betrayed your true heritage—and the penalty for betrayal is death." She charged Superman at full speed, leaping into the air in front of her cousin, grabbing his shoulders and flipping over him like a vault; she kept a tight grip as she landed, using the momentum to throw Superman over her own shoulders; the hero sailed through the air, smashing into the barn. Wood splintered everywhere, and Linda smirked at the gaping hole.

Inside the house, the dust began to settle as everyone slowly got to their feet, brushing dust and debris off themselves as they checked on each other.

"Is everyone okay?" Jonathan asked, coughing slightly as he examined a cut on Martha's forehead.

"Yeah, I think so," Cisco replied shakily. "What the frak is going on?"

"What's with Linda?" Jimmy asked. "Why is she acting this way?"

"She mentioned her destiny," Martha replied softly, "ruling Earth." She turned to her husband, her eyes full of worry.

"Jor-El," Jonathan growled as the realization hit him.

"Jor-El?" Jacob asked.

"Clark's biological father," Martha explained.

"I thought Linda and Clark were the only Kryptonians still alive," Ronnie said.

"It's a long story," Barry replied.

"One we don't have time for right now," Batman added. "If Jor-El's controlling Linda, we have to stop her before she does any more damage."

A sickening crash caught everyone's attention, and they hurried over to the damaged wall, looking out. In the distance, they saw as Linda standing in the field, holding Superman around his neck, his feet dangling a foot off the ground; with a malicious look on her face, she flung the hero aside like a rag doll. Superman landed hard in the field and skittered violently, causing the livestock to scatter and cutting a furrow into the soft earth.

"I'm sure you have a plan to incapacitate her?" Stein asked softly.

"Of course," Batman replied. "Just need one thing."

"What's that?" Barry asked.

"A distraction," Batman answered. "Suit up—all of you."

"You want us to fight her?" Cisco asked incredulously.

"Unless you have a better idea to stop a rampaging Kryptonian," Batman said curtly, "either suit up or shut up." Without waiting for an answer, Batman bolted from the living room and out of the gaping hole; J'onn launched himself into the air and quickly flew out of the house.

"You really want us fighting Linda?" Cisco asked Barry, his eyes full of fear.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Cisco," Barry answered softly, his expression somber as he held up his right fist; the gold ring glinted briefly as it caught the sunlight, "but we don't have much of a choice right now." He pressed the side of the ring, and the top sprung open; the shrunken costume inside immediately popped out. After completely expanding, Barry took off at full speed in a blur of yellow energy; in less than a second, he had put on his suit and blurred out of the house.

"So, are we going or not?" Cisco asked as he glanced over at Ronnie and Stein.

Ronnie glanced at the older gentleman, who appeared troubled. "Professor?" he pressed.

"We don't have any other options, Ronald," Stein said, agreeing with Barry. "It's no different than when Miss Kent was under the influence of the red kryptonite," he glanced at Jimmy and saw the guilt briefly wash over the teenager's eyes, "and since the other members of League aren't in the immediate proximity, we may be the only ones able to put an end to this."

Ronnie didn't appear too convinced, but he simply nodded. He reached up and touched the quantum splicer attached to his chest, turning it on before glancing at the older gentleman with his hand raised. Stein took Robbie's hand, their bodies enveloped in flames as they merged into a single form; his head and hands aflame, eyes completely white, he launched himself into the air and flew out of the house. Cisco remained rooted to the floor, his expression full of fear as he contemplated what to do.

Linda narrowed her eyes and crouched slightly, her fists clenched, as Batman, J'onn, Flash, and Superman surrounded her.

"You really think the four of you have what it takes to stop me?" she asked, glancing between the four men with a small smirk.

"We did the last time," Batman answered curtly, clenching a razor-sharp batarang in his right hand, "and we'll do it again." He swiftly threw the weapon at the young girl, who easily caught it.

"Really?" she asked, unimpressed. The weapon suddenly exploded violently, knocking the young girl back and off her feet; she tumbled about twenty feet before stopping.

"Really," Batman answered.

Frowning, Linda slowly got to her feet, but before she could make a move toward the hero, Barry surged forward, running around her in a tight circle. The teenager stopped as watched, trying to make out the speedster, but all she saw was a yellow blur of lightning. After a second or two, she saw Barry slow down long enough to swing his arm around, channeling some of the trailing lightning toward her. She had no time to react as the yellow bolt hit her in the chest; the electricity surged through her body as the force blaster her backward through the air.

Gritting her teeth, the teenager quickly twisted her body, righting herself a split second before she landed in a crouching position, leaning forward with her feet wide apart, her left hand on the ground, supporting her weight bearing most of the weight; her right hand outstretched behind her, balancing her. She stared at the ground silently before snapping her head, staring coldly at Barry as she straightened up; the Speedster was so taken aback by the expression on his friend's face he actually took a step back.

Linda opened her mouth as she moved toward him, but J'onn slammed into her from behind, wrapping his arms around her in a tight vice as she struggled against him; J'onn's muscles quivered as he strained to keep hold of her as Superman, Barry, and Batman surrounded them, staying about twenty feet away.

"Release the girl," J'onn growled loudly.

"This is not your concern, Martian," Linda growled back. "Kara Zor-El belongs to me."

"Her name is Linda," Superman shouted angrily at her, fists clenched, "and you have no right to do this!"

Linda stopped struggling and looked right at Superman, her eyes full of a calm madness that caused the hero to inwardly shudder; the corners of her mouth curled into a condescending smile. "Actually, I do," she replied. "I had to find another to take your place after you walked away from your destiny."

"Ruling this planet was **your** desire—not my destiny," Superman said, "and it won't be Linda's either."

"You really think she shares your pathetically sentimental connection to this world?" Linda asked. "I've seen her mind: she still views herself as a Kryptonian, above this world, not part of it; taking control of her required little effort."

Superman blurred over, towering over Linda and staring down at her angrily, his fists clenched. "I won't let you take her from us," he growled.

"You don't have a choice," Linda replied calmly.

Suddenly, Superman, J'onn, Barry, and Batman were telekinetically blasted away from Linda, flung backward like ragdolls as the young girl stood silent, watching with a condescending expression as the four heroes tumbled for over fifty feet before stopping. Her super-hearing picked up an odd sound coming from above her, and she looked up to see a beam of intense fire heading right for her. The teenager quickly launched herself into the air right before the fire hit the ground, leaving a deep scorch mark. Linda stopped in midair and glanced around, quickly spotting Firestorm hovering a short distance away; she narrowed her eyes at him. Firestorm held out his hands and sent another beam toward the teenager, who quickly inhaled and exhaled with all her might.

A tremendous wind blasted from Linda's mouth, directed right at Firestorm. The hurricane force gale slammed into him, causing him to tumble as the icy temperature quickly extinguished his flames. With nothing to keep him suspended in the sky, the young man let out a shout as he fell toward the ground.

Superman rubbed his head, groaning softly as he slowly got to his feet. He glanced upward, saw Firestorm tumbling erratically as he fell toward the ground, and quickly launched himself into the sky. He effortlessly caught the young man before landing, putting him down as the others got to their feet.

"You okay?" Superman asked.

"We're fine," Firestorm replied before looking back up as Linda hovered above, staring coldly down at them.

"I wouldn't count on it," the young girl replied. "All you've done is delay the inevitable."

"And what's that?" Batman growled.

"Your deaths," Linda replied.

"You'd really kill us all?" Barry asked, trying to remember that it wasn't Linda they were actually talking to.

"I can't very well rule when there are those who oppose me," Linda answered. "Once that particular problem has been eliminated, the only thing left will be a—"

"Barren wasteland," J'onn interrupted, "because no one will accept you as their ruler."

"Not everyone has the strength to choose death over security," Linda replied as she glanced at him. "That's the one positive thing about these primitives: there will always be those who will kneel before—"

Linda was suddenly interrupted as a powerful concussive blast slammed into her, knocking her off her feet and causing her to tumble violently for over fifty feet. Everyone looked toward the source and saw Cisco, a few feet behind and to the left of Barry, standing with his right fist outstretched; he appeared sickened.

"Thanks," Barry said.

"Don't make me do that again," Cisco replied softly, lowering his shaking hand.

Superman glanced over at Linda and saw her slowly getting to her feet, her hair frazzled and tumbling over one shoulder, exposing the back of her neck. The hero furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed something dark against her skin, and he focused his vison to get a closer look; his eyes widened when he saw what appeared to be a black symbol in the shape of the letter Z, formed in typical Kryptonian style.

And tattooed right into her skin.

Clark narrowed his eyes as he finally realized what needed to be done. Gritting his teeth, blurred over to his cousin, slamming into before she had a chance to recover. He threw her roughly to the ground, pinning her arms behind her, holding her down as she struggled against him.

"You can't hold me forever, Kal-El," Linda growled.

"I don't intend to," Superman replied before taking a deep breath. His eyes glowed orange for a moment before two beams of heat blasted outward. They struck the back of Linda's neck, singing the skin. The teenager let out a loud and agonizing scream as the searing heat burned through her flesh, the sound so deafening that everyone on the farm had to cover their ears; glass objects and windows buckled before shattering.

Superman's head throbbed, and he desperately wanted to stop, but he knew it would only truly stop once that damn symbol was off his cousin's neck. A few more seconds passed before the heat had removed every single bit of ink, and the hero stopped and stared down at the young girl sprawled underneath him, her arms still pinned behind her. The wound on Linda's neck was bleeding and charred with deep tissue damage, and Superman could already see it healing, but it didn't make him feel any better at what he had done.

"Linda?" he asked softly with caution.

"Clark?" Linda asked, confused, as she tried to crane her neck, but she stopped almost immediately, wincing in pain.

Superman shifted off her and carefully turned her over, cradling her in his arms. She appeared confused, but he was grateful that crazed look in her eyes had disappeared. "Hey," he said softly.

"What happened?" Linda asked, looking around.

Superman took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. "It's a long story," he replied somberly.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

There were days when the Kents could have done without the presence of superpowers or heroes in their lives, but not that day. While the Kents and Olsens tended to Linda inside the house, the rest of the League (who had arrived shortly after the confrontation had ended) pitched in to help fix the damage on the property; with everyone's combined effort, it took less than an hour repair everything. While Hal and Carter left to go back to their duties at the Watchtower, the rest joined the others in the living room, where Linda sat on the couch, flanked by both Jonathan and Martha, staring silently at the hot cup of tea she cradled in her hands. The burn on the back of her neck had already healed, the once charred and blackened skin back to its normal, healthy pink.

Batman glanced quickly between his teammates before his eyes settled back on the teenage girl. After a few moments, Linda glanced up at him, her eyes radiating with annoyance.

"The last thing I remember was flying through a thunderstorm last night," she said bluntly.

"You peeked," Batman replied.

"I didn't have to," Linda retorted. "I know how you think, Bruce." Her gaze fell back on the cup as she gingerly took a sip; she—along with everyone else—missed the brief and slight curl of the corners of Batman's mouth.

"Why were you flying through a thunderstorm last night?" Martha asked.

"I wanted to get back to Central City as quickly as I could without being seen," Linda explained. "Next thing I know, I got hit by something with a lot of energy—I don't know what it was—but it hurt, a lot. At first, I thought I'd been struck by a bolt of lightning, but I quickly knew it wasn't that, because Cisco hit me with one at S.T.A.R. Labs on Monday, and it didn't even faze me."

"Excuse me?" Jonathan asked, frowning, as he looked over at Cisco. Cisco paled as the farm quickly got to his feet and crossed the room, stopping a foot away from the engineer. "What do you mean you hit my daughter with a bolt of lightning?"

Cisco swallowed nervously. "Uh…," he said slowly.

"It was my idea," Linda spoke up. "I wanted to know more about my abilities; Cisco performed a few tests, that's all." Jonathan looked unconvinced, and Linda sighed. "Look, we can talk more about that later; right now, I'd like to figure out why I'm missing ten hours of my life, and why it looked like there was a Battle Royale here earlier."

"Actually," Superman said slowly, "we know what happened." Linda looked at him expectantly. "Jor-El somehow took control of you."

Linda furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Jor-El?" she asked. "Are you sure?" Superman nodded sympathetically. "Why me? I thought you told me it was Jor-El's wish for **you** to rule this planet."

"It was," Superman replied.

"Then why come after me?" Linda asked. "I didn't even know him."

"Because your ties to Earth are not as strong as Clark's," Batman answered bluntly.

"You say that like it's her fault," Jimmy spoke up.

"It's fact," Batman replied. "Clark was raised as a human all his life, so when Jor-El attempted to take control of him, it failed because Clark sees himself as more human than Kryptonian. Linda was raised as a Kryptonian and hasn't even been on Earth a full year. Like it or not, if Jor-El's strategy was to obtain an easy conduit to execute his plans, then Linda was the best choice."

"But why now?" Jonathan asked.

"Because I didn't have all my powers until yesterday," Linda answered softly. She glanced up and saw everyone staring at her; she chuckled mirthlessly. "The more powerful the soldier, the better the probability of a successful conquest."

"A sound strategy," Wonder Woman spoke up from her spot. She glanced over at Superman and saw his eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Something's not adding up about this," Superman replied. "Even when we were fighting Linda, something felt…off."

"I lost ten hours of my life by being mind-controlled by the brainwaves of my dead uncle," Linda replied wryly, "and I tried to kill everyone. Everything about this is 'off,' Clark."

"That's what I'm talking about," Superman said. "What Jor-El did to you was almost a complete one-eighty on what he did to me; to be honest, if I hadn't heard you talk about 'destiny' I wouldn't have even recognized it as Jor-El in the first place. And he branded my chest with our family's symbol; he never used a tattoo like the one I saw on your neck."

"I'd just like to know how a tattoo can control someone like that," Martha said.

"It's a form of nanotechnology," Linda explained, "created centuries ago. It involved microscopic circuits implanted underneath the skin at the base of the skull, connecting to neural pathways. Whoever branded the person could upload programming directly to the brain, essentially gaining control over the person in question."

"Mind control," Flash replied.

Linda nodded once. "It was created originally as a means of controlling criminal behavior, but—as you guys witnessed—it could easily be misused; it was banned before it could ever be implemented." She noticed her cousin's expression. "What?"

"It still doesn't make sense why Jor-El would use that," Superman replied. "If the technology hadn't been used in centuries, why take a risk on whether or not it would work on you?"

"Well, apparently he did," Oliver spoke up, "and we all saw how effective it was."

"Maybe," Superman continued, "but what really bothers me is the brand itself. No matter what Jor-El did when I was younger, he always connected it with the House of El—but I don't recognize the symbol he put on Linda's neck."

"What did it look like?" Linda asked.

Superman blurred into the kitchen and returned a second later with a small sketch pad and a pencil; he quickly sketched the symbol, then held out the sketch pad to his cousin. "Here," he said. Linda put her cup down and took the pad, staring at the symbol Superman had drawn. Her stomach turned violently as she felt all the color drain from her face.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked.

"This wasn't from Jor-El," Linda said quietly. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her vision blurred with tears. "This is the symbol of Zor-El." Disgusted, she tossed the pad onto the coffee table and got up from the couch. Wordlessly, she left the living room, heading out the kitchen door; Jimmy quickly followed.

Linda stormed out of the house, slamming the kitchen door open. The hinges snapped under the force, causing the door to fall to the ground and teeter for a few moments before leaning up against the house and doorframe. The teenager closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. She knew there was very little chance that the others had missed that, but she didn't feel like checking for confirmation. Without saying a word, she headed onto the porch and carefully leaned against the nearby rail, staring at the buildings and land that showed no signs of the fight that had taken place not too long ago.

"Hey."

Linda closed her eyes and sighed. She knew why he felt like he had to be there and under normal conditions (she mentally snorted at the word 'normal') she would have welcomed his presence, that soft voice would have lifted her spirits—but not right now.

"You don't have to be out here," she mumbled without turning around. "I'll be fine."

"And we both know you're only saying that because you're freaking out by what happened," Jimmy replied.

"Of course I am," Linda retorted, finally turning around. "I have ten hours of my life that I can't account for, and when I finally come to, it turns out my psychotic father, who died months ago, somehow managed to take control of me and use me as a weapon against the people I care about. What's even scarier is that I have no idea where I was during that time: Clark said he searched the caves, and there was nothing to indicate I was there, which means there's something Kryptonian out there that we don't even know about."

"And we'll deal with it," Jimmy reassured her.

"How?" Linda asked. "We don't even know where to begin looking."

"Actually, we might have an idea."

Jimmy and Linda glanced over and saw Clark (who had changed into his civilian clothing) and Cisco standing near the kitchen doorway; it was Clark who had spoken.

"What do you mean?" Linda asked.

"Do you remember when I told you yesterday I could vibe different points of time?" Cisco asked. Linda nodded slowly, furrowing her eyebrows. "Well, seeing how I already vibed you once and saw your future, I was thinking maybe I could try vibing to see what happened to you while you were missing." Linda raised an eyebrow. "I mean, unless that totally freaks you out, and if it does I won't do it."

"Didn't you try vibing Linda's stuff earlier?" Jimmy asked slowly, confused.

"Yeah, but I'm thinking maybe I need to actually make contact with the source for it to work in this case," Cisco replied.

"You think it'll work?" Linda asked. "I mean, J'onn couldn't figure out what had happened to me, and he's a powerful telepath."

"Yeah, well, vibing isn't hindered by brainwaves," Cisco replied. "I think."

Linda glanced at Clark. "What did Mom and Dad say?" she asked.

"Well, Dad wasn't too thrilled about it," Clark answered, "and Mom tried not to appear too worried, but they both said it was up to you."

"What do you think?" Linda asked, glancing at Jimmy.

"You know more about this stuff than I do," he replied. "To be honest, part of me is saying no, but you said you wanted to find out where you'd been," he shrugged, "so, I'll go with whatever you decide to do."

Linda gave him a grateful expression before looking back at Cisco. "Will it hurt?" she asked.

"No," Cisco replied.

"So, why aren't the others out here?" Jimmy asked Clark.

"Too many people watching makes it hard to focus," Cisco answered, "and the last thing you want to be when vibing is distracted." He held out his hand. "So, you ready, Skittles?"

Linda stared at the offered hand, torn. She desperately wanted to know what had happened to her, but there was a part of her that was terrified at what she'd actually find out. She quickly realized that not knowing what her father had done to her—no matter what it turned out to be—scared her the most. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and gingerly took Cisco's offered hand.

Cisco inhaled sharply before flashes of light filled his vision, then quickly vanished as his world was engulfed in deep blue hues. The engineer glanced around, trying to take in his surroundings. His eyebrows furrowed when he realized stood in a large room with stone walls and pillars. Unfamiliar symbols were drawn in various locations, symbols he had never seen before but knew exactly what they were; it quickly dawned on Cisco that he was standing in the middle of the Kawatche caves that Linda had told him about.

Movement caught his attention, and Cisco turned his head in time to see Linda walking toward him from the direction of the entrance. She didn't appear bothered by her burnt and singed clothing as she walked slowly and methodically past Cisco. She approached a section of wall with an octagonal slot surrounded by four rings of symbols and covered the slot with her right palm.

A golden glow emanated from the slot and the surrounding symbols lit up, slowly rotating clockwise. Linda touched a symbol on the second ring from the center; the ring suddenly stopped as the symbol turned from gold to blue. She touched another symbol on the outer ring; it stopped and became bright yellow. When she touched a symbol in the ring between the other two, the ring stopped as the symbol glowed red.

Cisco glanced around as what sounded like gears rotating echoed through the large cavern; he looked back down in time to see rings rotating again until the newly lit symbols lined up at the nine o'clock position and locked into place. A new sound—like a heavy grinding—came from another part of the cave, and Cisco looked over to see another symbol on the upper back wall glow bright white. The wall split at the center of the symbol, and the two halves separated like a pair of sliding doors, revealing a circular chamber behind him. Linda didn't appear fazed as she simply walked toward it.

Cisco followed and stopped just inside the entrance and stared around, his mouth slightly open. While the rest of the cave looked natural, as if the rock had been weathered away over a long time, the new chamber looked like it had been purposefully carved into the rock. It was perfectly round with flawlessly smooth walls covered in more symbols, but Cisco noted these symbols were in perfectly spaced lines (about ten of them) from floor to ceiling encircling the entire room. The floor appeared to be made out of light gray concrete that had been polished until it was smooth as glass; one ring of symbols that matched the ones on the walls encircled the center of the room perfectly.

Cisco looked over as Linda walked to a section of wall near the entrance and raised her left hand, and he saw the octagonal shaped metal disc in her hand. She brought it near the wall and the key flew into slot. A loud click echoed through the chamber before the symbols on the floor lit up with blue light.

Linda calmly walked toward the center of the chamber, stopping in the center of the ring. The symbols glowed brighter before shooting beams of light upward to the ceiling, encasing Linda in a tube of blue energy. There was a flash of bright light, and Cisco reflexively turned his head, closing his eyes. A few moments later, Cisco saw the back of his eyelids darken, and he slowly opened his eyes and turned back, his mouth slightly open in disbelief.

Linda had completely vanished.

Before Cisco could react any further, there was another series of quick flashes. He gasped softly, blinking a few times, and everything returned to normal. He was once again back on the Kent porch with Linda, Jimmy, and Clark, who just stared at him.

"What did you see?" Linda asked, and Cisco could tell she was trying to stay calm.

"I'm not sure," Cisco answered. "You were in the caves."

"I checked the caves," Clark replied, "every inch of that place; Linda wasn't there."

"I know what I saw," Cisco insisted. "Her clothes were singed, but she walked in like nothing was wrong and touched this slot on one of the walls."

"The octagonal slot?" Linda asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Cisco nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "it opened up this wall in the back part of the cave into some kind of hidden chamber." He paused briefly when he saw their confused expressions. "You didn't know about that?"

"The room, yeah, we know about," Linda answered. "I discovered it a few months ago," she looked troubled, "but the last time the wall opened, I used my key on the slot."

"If you're talking about an octagonal piece of metal," Cisco said, "you did have it with you."

"I did?" Linda asked.

"You must have come here before going to the cave," Jimmy said to Linda.

"But it wasn't there when I checked the caves," Clark added before looking at Cisco. "Are you sure you saw Linda with her key?"

"Look, I'm just telling you what I saw," Cisco replied, trying to stay focused; he had a ton of questions he wanted to ask, but he knew better. "Linda came in, touched the wall, symbols glowed, she touched some of them, and it revealed this hidden room with all these symbols in it. She walked in, put that metal key or whatever it is in a slot near the entrance, and this ring of symbols on the floor lit up with this blue light. She stepped into the ring and was engulfed in the light-and then she was gone."

"Where did she go?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't know," Cisco answered. "That's all I got before the vibe stopped."

Clark glanced at Linda, who still looked troubled. "You okay?" he asked gently.

"Not really," Linda answered bluntly. "We still don't know what happened to me or why I was missing."

"But we have a starting place," Clark said, "and it has something to do with that chamber you found."

"But why didn't anything happen the last time Jimmy and I were there?" Linda asked, "and why didn't I need the key to open it this time?"

"I don't know," Clark replied honestly, "but I'm going to find out." He turned to Cisco. "Do you remember which symbols Linda touched?"

"If this was Klingon," Cisco answered, "piece of cake, but Kryptonese is a little out of my—"

"Passage," Linda interrupted, "Polar, and Stronghold—in that order."

"You remember that?" Jimmy asked, surprised.

"Not really," Linda replied, glancing at Cisco with a guilty expression. "Sorry. I know you really don't like me doing that, but—"

Cisco held up a hand, stopping her. "Look, if it helps us figure out what happened to you," he said, "it's okay." Everyone glanced at Clark as he turned and headed down the stairs, removing his glasses. "Where are you going?"

"To the caves," Clark answered, "try to see if I can get some answers."

"I'm coming with you," Linda said as she followed him.

"Like hell you are," Jimmy spoke up, grabbing Linda's hand, but she ignored him, pulling her hand free before heading down the stairs after her cousin.

"Clark," Linda said.

"Linda, you're not coming," Clark said, turning to face the young girl as she reached him.

"Why not?" Linda asked.

"Because you were missing for ten hours," Clark answered, "and it has something to do with those caves." He spun in a tight circle, changing into his costume. "I'm not letting you go back there until we figure out what happened."

"I'm the only one around here who knows how to work those caves, remember?" Linda said.

"Maybe," Superman replied, "but you're still not coming." Linda opened her mouth, but the hero stopped her. "This is not open for discussion. You're staying here. Do you understand me?" Linda scowled before storming off down the walk and toward the barn, arms crossed. Superman sighed before glancing at Jimmy and Cisco. "Let the others know what's going on. I'll be back as soon as I can." He bent his knees before launching himself into the air, heading upward.

(End of Chapter 5)


End file.
